Your Story, Your Choice: Preparing for living, ageing and dying well

Just one in three Australians have taken steps to plan for their future health care, with misconceptions about advance care planning continuing to hold many back from starting the process.

Advance Care Planning Australia (ACPA) is challenging the belief that it’s something to think about only when you or a loved one has reached a certain age or is unwell. Instead, it is encouraging all Australians to take a moment to define their own version of living, ageing and dying well as part of Advance Care Planning Week (16–22 March) .

“Many Australians think they’re too young, or that it’s only needed if you’re sick,” ACPA national manager Dr Catherine Joyce said.

“But it’s never too early – only too late.”

“While formal advance care planning can include legally binding documents, such as advance care directives or substitute decision‑maker appointments, Dr Joyce said informal conversations are just as important for reducing the emotional load on family and friends when urgent health decisions need to be made.

“Four in five people told us that talking is the most important part,” she said.

“It doesn’t have to be about formal documents ... starting with a conversation with the important people in your life is all you need to get underway.”

Your Story, Your Choice

An advanced care plan, whether formal or informal, should reflect a person’s day‑to‑day values and what they consider good care.

“People tell us they want to stay in their own home, keep their independence, or have their pet with them,” Dr Joyce said.

“Communication with loved ones, getting to a milestone event, being in nature, cultural or spiritual practices – these personal values are central.”

Marie’s story

How can aged care providers help?

With the new Aged Care Act and strengthened standards embedding person‑centred care, Dr Joyce said the sector is well‑positioned to support better advance care planning practices.

“One of the traps that aged care services can fall into is treating advance care planning as a tick-box exercise and focusing too much on the formal documents,” she said.

“What we want to see is that services are inviting, but not insisting, that the older person considers advance care planning; that they can inform them about the benefits and that they can provide support for them as they want, or need, for them to engage in advance care planning.”

Aged care providers should also ensure their staff understands the legal frameworks and formal documents specific to their state or territory. Without this foundational training, workers may be left navigating complex situations without the clarity or confidence they need to do it well.

ACPA encourages aged care providers to invest in building staff capability, giving workers the skills, knowledge and assurance required to have sensitive conversations with families and carers.

“Aged care staff, like everybody in the community, can have some hesitation about these conversations, and they need support to be confident with them,” Dr Joyce said.

Beyond the aged care setting, promoting advance care planning remains a major priority for ACPA, with awareness and understanding still low across the population.

Dr Joyce said more resources are needed to support tailored, collaborative work with groups that face greater barriers to engagement, such as culturally sensitive approaches that meet communities where they are.

Start the conversation

Advance Care Planning Week encourages Australians to take the first step.

Ask yourself who you would want to speak for you if you couldn’t speak for yourself, what do you think is important for them to know, and what are the outcomes that you would or wouldn’t want for yourself in a health crisis?

“Invite those conversations with the important people in your life, around the kitchen table, or sitting on the couch,” Dr Joyce said.

“Start the conversation today – and keep going.”

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More information and professional resources are available at www.advancecareplanning.org.au.